Seven's First Valentine
by scifiromance
Summary: A newlywed Seven of Nine is unexpectedly left alone on Valentine's Day... C/7.


**A/n: None of you expected me to miss out on the chance to write a Valentine's Day focused C/7 fic did you? Lol. I hope you all enjoy this, its set in a reality where Voyager is still in the Delta Quadrant.**

"An away mission?" Seven echoed, fighting to stop her face from falling in disappointment at this unexpected piece of news. Her hopes and plans for the next day evaporated as she looked up at her husband's apologetic face and she, for his sake, hastily forced her face into a passive expression. "When do you leave?" she asked as levelly as she could.

"As soon as the rest of the team is ready to go." Chakotay answered with a sigh as he peered concernedly into her face. "The Gironian delegation assured us that the trip to their home world is a ceremonial part of all their trading negotiations and that we should be back here within 36 hours…"

"So you won't be back by tomorrow?" Seven clarified, swallowing the sadness in her tone.

"No, probably not." Chakotay admitted ruefully, "I'm sorry honey, but I'll be back by the next morning I promise." He saw her bite her lip slightly and lightly put his fingers under her chin to lift her face to his, "You'll be alright, won't you?" he asked her gently.

Seven smiled at him sheepishly, ashamed of her selfishness and for making him worry. "Of course I will be, I have a great deal of work that can be completed while you're gone…" She began to assure him hurriedly.

Chakotay shot her a knowing look. "Just because I'm not here to make sure you relax at some point doesn't mean that you shouldn't find some time." He reminded her seriously.

"I won't work constantly…" Seven agreed, "I need to regenerate too." She teasingly added when he frowned at her doubtfully.

"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Chakotay laughed, holding his hands up defensively before his voice again became more serious as he leaned closer into her. "I'll make it up to you when I get back…" He murmured, his warm breath tickling her cheek pleasantly.

"I know." She replied softly as she put her arms around his broad shoulders. "Don't concern yourself with me over this, these negotiations are vital for Voyager."

"They are vital, but that doesn't mean I should forget about us." Chakotay told her firmly as he bent his head to kiss her, before being rudely interrupted by the beam of his comm. badge.

The newly promoted Harry Kim's voice came over the line, filling Astrometrics where the couple stood alone. "The Doctor and I are ready to disembark Commander. We're waiting in Shuttle Bay Two."

Chakotay impatiently tapped his comm. badge to respond, "I'll be right there Lieutenant. Chakotay out." He glanced back at his wife, tightening his grip around her. "Do you want to come down to the Shuttle Bay with me?" he asked, although he already knew what her answer would be.

"No…" Seven answered with a small sigh, "I'd prefer for us to be alone for another moment." Even after almost three months of marriage, she still felt loathe to give up privacy in exchange for public displays of affection, it always felt more heartfelt to her with only the two of them as witnesses. She reached up and placed her hand loving on his face as she kissed him deeply. "Be safe my love." She whispered thickly as she pulled back.

"I will be." Chakotay reassured her kindly as he pressed the back of her hand to his lips. "I love you too." He murmured softly in goodbye as he disappeared through the doorway.

Seven let out a heavy sigh as she watched the doors shut behind him, the possibility of a first romantic Valentine's Day leaving her with him as she turned distractedly back to her console.

* * *

><p>Seven's heart sank into despondency as she stepped out of her alcove the next morning to be greeted by the brooding darkness of their empty quarters. Even as she busied herself preparing for the day, a heavy layer of loneliness settled upon her every time her eyes briefly fell on their tidily made bed, untouched as it has been the night before. This certainly wasn't how she'd expected her first Valentine's Day as part of a couple to be! She clenched her jaw in self-irritation as she left for breakfast in the Mess Hall, she was acting like a spoiled child. She'd vowed to herself that she'd never allow their relationship to interfere with his duties, and she intended to keep to that unspoken promise faithfully, whether it caused her some discouragement or not. It wasn't even as if she'd told him that she considered this day important, barely a word about the celebration had passed between them, partly because Seven believed that the fact that she didn't generally subscribe to some of humankind's more fanciful ideas about romantic obligations was an attraction to her straightforward husband. A sigh of relief left her lips as she entered an undecorated Mess Hall, remembering how Neelix's exuberance about the Valentine's holiday had pushed her to start her stimulations with the Chakotay hologram. The thought of the void that had dominated her life only twelve months ago made her shiver. I should know better than anyone not to attach importance to any particular day with him and instead be grateful for them all, she chastised herself as she ordered her meal from the replicator. "Hi Seven." Tom Paris greeted her warmly from where he was standing at the neighbouring replicator. "Do you want to sit with us?"<p>

"I would like that, thank you." Seven agreed gratefully, returning his easy smile as she followed him back to the table where B'Elanna sat, with baby Miral beside her in a highchair. "Good Morning B'Elanna, Miral." She greeted them simply as she sat down opposite them.

Miral beamed at her toothily, waving around a spoon laden down with milk sodden cereal. "Hewwo!"

"Sweetie…" B'Elanna coaxed in exasperation, "Breakfast goes in your tummy, not on the table, okay?" Miral responded by obediently popping one spoonful in her mouth before taking the much more fun route of taking it in squelchy handfuls.

"I think you're fighting a losing battle there." Tom commented to his wife while chuckling fondly at his little daughter.

"For now maybe." B'Elanna conceded as she watched Miral giggle, then turned her attention to Seven. "So did Chakotay give you his opinion of Gironians then? The Captain is being tight-lipped for the sake of diplomacy, are they really that difficult? Harry kept moaning yesterday about having to take Neelix's old role of ambassador…"

"Chakotay did seem to be getting exasperated by their requests…" Seven replied, smiling to herself as she recalled Chakotay's irritation with their guests the day before, "I did warn him, all of you, that they were known to the Borg as an inefficient, pedantic species."

"I'm not sure if "pedantic" is the word I'd use…" Tom remarked darkly.

"One of them had the nerve to criticise his piloting skills yesterday." B'Elanna muttered aside to Seven, who smirked in amusement.

"Well, you have to admit its annoying of them to ask for an away team to travel back to their home world with them after they've kept us hanging around here for three days already!" Tom said defensively.

"Yes, their presence has caused disruption." Seven muttered quietly in agreement.

"It sure has, especially to the Valentine's holodeck date I had all planned out for B'Elanna and I." Tom revealed with a frustrated frown, "Now that the Doctor and Harry had to go on that away mission we can't get a sitter for Miral."

"I would be happy to watch her for you." Seven offered politely. She doubted babysitting was the sort of thing Chakotay had had in mind when he'd told her to relax, but it would do.

Tom brightened, "Really Seven? You wouldn't mind?"

Seven shook her head firmly, "Not at all. I don't have any other plans."

B'Elanna, who'd been silent on the subject until now, beamed in relief. "That's great! With all that's been going on recently, we've barely had a night alone…"

Tom gave a dry laugh. "I think the last time was your and Chakotay's wedding reception Seven."

Seven blanched a little at that, her wedding had been nearly three months ago! Another reason why she should be glad of her and Chakotay's time together, if children ever came along… She stopped that half hopeful thought in its tracks and smiled at her friends. "If that is the case then I am happy to assist you."

* * *

><p>"Ahh, win!" Miral cried out in triumph as her toy lit up in an explosion of rainbow coloured lights.<p>

"Yes, you won." Seven confirmed, watching in trepidation as the ten month old snatched up the toy again to reset it, for the forth time in as many minutes. The child was clever, she'd need to be taught kadiskot when she was a little older, but for now all games were to be given up, it was Miral's assigned bedtime. "Miral, it is time to go to bed. I'm sure your parents will play with you again in the morning." She explained calmly as she put the toy away.

Miral however did _not_ react to this news calmly. "Bed?" she squeaked, her face stiffening as she read Seven uncompromising face. "No!" she shouted determinedly.

"Yes." Seven corrected, ignoring the girl's struggles as she picked her up. "You are like your mama…" She told the tearful child thoughtfully as she continued to kick out, "I used to argue a lot with her too."

"Wike Mama?" Miral repeated joyfully, so pleased with the compliment that she allowed Seven to help her brush her budding teeth and tuck her into her cot without much complaint, leaving a by now tired Seven to sink into a chair and drift into a light sleep of her own.

"We're back Seven." B'Elanna whispered quietly some time later as she roused the other woman from her doze, it seemed Miral could exhaust anyone, even a former drone! "Thanks so much for watching her for us."

Seven looked into the glowing faces of the two parents, flushed and smiling at each other every so often, and was glad to feel that happiness for them overwhelmed any tiny spark of jealousy. "Thank you for entrusting me with her." She replied sincerely as she stood and headed for the door, sensing that her presence was holding them back. "Good night."

She decided to retreat to Astrometrics for a while, the solitude of her quarters held no appeal for her. Her shoulders spontaneously relaxed as she entered, surrounded as she was by the comfort of organised familiarity, but within a few seconds something amiss caught her eye, there was an envelope lying on her console. "Strange…" She muttered under her breath in bemusement as she approached, the only other person assigned to Astrometrics was Icheb and he would certainly leave her any notification in more standardised manner. Tentatively, she picked it up, a smile spreading unbidden across her face as she recognised the familiar handwriting. Without pausing to consider how this had possibly been arranged, she pulled out the card. It was perfectly simple, two interlocking hearts on a white background. Inside, it read, in his broad but clear script:

_Seven,_

_Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart, the first of many._

_All my love,_

_Chakotay_

"Oh…" Seven gasped, her fingers tightening around the card as if she were holding him himself. "How…" She started to ask herself, trailing off as she realised she didn't care. The feeling of being loved, so rare for her, and of being in love, rose within her until she had to blink away the tears which flowed forth.

She jumped slightly as a warm pair of arms wrapped naturally around her from behind, laughing in surprised delight as a deep voice whispered in her ear, "Do you like the card?"

"It's perfect." She replied softly, too stunned to turn around, but that feeling soon left her as she felt him grin against her cheek, then she hugged him fiercely. "What are you doing back here? I thought…" She began, feeling flustered.

"A husband is allowed to go at warp nine rather than warp five as recommended to get home for his first Valentine's Day with his wife isn't he?" Chakotay told her warmly, beaming. He'd known he wouldn't regret the decision, but her next words still surprised him as she buried her face against him.

"How did you know this was what I wanted?" she murmured. As he rubbed her back and held her close, she felt him chuckle, causing her to sigh, "Are my thoughts that transparent?"

He tilted her blushing face up to his, "Maybe to me, but I wouldn't want it any other way I promise."

"That's good." Seven mumbled in relief before a paralysing thought struck her, "I don't have a card to give you!" she exclaimed, mortified.

"Your reaction to me coming back was my present." Chakotay assured her quickly, "I'm sorry we've only got…" He checked the clock, "53 minutes of Valentine's Day left honey…"

Seven cut him off with a prolonged, passionate kiss before gazing at him seductively through her eyelashes, "53 minutes is plenty of time for romance, and there's no rule I've found which prohibits its progression into the 15th of February is there?"

Chakotay kissed her repeatedly through his laughter, "If there was, we'd just have to break it…"

**A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D A little rushed, but its all I could get done between exam revision, I hope its okay for fluff anyway. Thanks to Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay for suggesting the idea about the card.**


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